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Taylor Brierley Commits to Union College

RoughRiders forward Taylor Brierley announced his commitment to play college hockey at Union College.

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders defenseman Taylor Brierley has announced his College Commitment to Union College.

"I just had my visit there and I really liked it from the get go," said Brierley. "The campus was really nice, it was a smaller school, which was perfect for me. Their rink and campus is unbelievable and has a lot of culture."

Brierley, an East Grand Forks MN native had an eventful path to the RoughRiders when he found out the team had acquired him in a trade. Playing for the Minnesota Magicians November 13th on the road against the Brookings Blizzard in South Dakota, Brierley got the call at 11 pm he needed to get to Madison, WI.

"It was pretty crazy, we had a game in Brookings the night before. At 11 pm I found out I was traded to Cedar Rapids. I called my Dad and he drove to Brookings, a 4 hour drive from East Grand Forks, and then to Madison," said Brierley.

After the marathon drive and the RoughRiders game in Madison, Brierley had to head back to the Minneapolis area to get all his personal belongings and then back to Cedar Rapids. The move has been a good one for Brierley, a lefty defenseman. "I love it here," said Brierley. "It's a great group of guys, a great staff. It's top notch here. The fans are unbelievable here. I've never seen anything like that before."

"We are very happy for Taylor," said RoughRiders head coach Mark Carlson. "Union has a great tradition and combination of strong academics and a first class hockey program. A great fit on both sides."

Brierley's commitment gives the Cedar Rapids 18 NCAA commitments on their current roster.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 14th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2015-16. A record 37 players were chosen in the 2015 NHL Draft and more than 375 players on team rosters last season committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent.